You'll Come Back For Me
by ancientmaverick
Summary: It's not supposed to end this way. Tony and Gibbs friendship. Character death inspired by Leave No Man Behind from Black Hawk Down.


_AN: So, my first foray into the NCIS world. Not quite what I had planned, but after listening to _"Leave No Man Behind"_ from the __Black Hawk Down__ soundtrack about fifty times, I knew I had to do something. Yes, Tony dies, but in my original plan, everyone was going to be happy. I just couldn't make it work. So, don't hate me. There are some purposefully unanswered questions in the fic. If you absolutely have to know, then ask me in a review. On with the show._

oNCISo

"_It's not going to happen, DiNozzo."_

"_You have no choice, Boss. Get out. I'll hold them off."_

"_I am not leaving you behind."_

"_Gibbs, if you don't get McGee out of here right now, I will shoot both of you and take my chances with the rebels. I swear to God."_

"_Tony…"_

"_You'll come back for me. Now GO!"_

Gibbs moved swiftly and silently, Ziva beside him. They had very little time before the rebels moved on, and Gibbs would rather die than miss the opportunity to rescue his lead agent.

He hadn't forgiven Tony for his actions. There was time for that later. Right now, his anger – at Tony, at himself – kept him calm and focused on the task at hand.

Ziva stopped suddenly, holding up a hand for silence. It was unnecessary. It was just the two of them, operating against a direct order from the Director, but there was no way they were going to leave Tony for even another hour.

Gibbs followed Ziva with his eyes. They had reached the camp, and it was her job to silence the guards. This was nothing new for her. In fact, she had probably been missing this kind of work since beginning at NCIS.

Gibbs, though he might have wished to help her, had another goal in mind. As the first two guards fell, he slipped into camp, heading for the small tent in the middle. It was pure tactics – put the most valuable commodity in the center of camp, where it can be better protected. It might have worked – except the rebels weren't expecting company, especially not from a civilian investigator and a Mossad-trained assassin.

There was one man outside the tent, but he was no problem for Gibbs. He opened the flap, gun at the ready, and froze.

That…thing…in the corner couldn't be Tony. Gibbs almost backed out right there, but Tony's voice rang in his head, the absolute certainty that Gibbs would come back.

"Tony."

It was barely a whisper, so Gibbs was hardly surprised when there was no movement from the pile in the corner. He tried again, louder.

"Tony!"

There was an almost imperceptible twinge, and then a head slowly emerged from beneath two black-and-blue mottled arms.

"Tony, we gotta go."

And there – bright green eyes, clouded with pain, but still undeniably Tony.

"B-boss?"

Gibbs knelt beside his senior agent.

"It's me. Can you walk?"

"How's McGee?"

It was absurd, but it was the indicator Gibbs had been looking for, the sign that the man before him was still essentially Anthony DiNozzo. Only he would think about the welfare of another while he himself was close to death.

"He's going to be okay. We have to go. Ziva's holding the door open for us."

"Ziva? How'd she get here so fast?"

Gibbs stilled, his hands still supporting Tony, but his eyes closed. "It's been two weeks."

Tony squinted at his boss through puffy eyelids. "Oh." He frowned. "I guess I fell asleep."

Gibbs almost lost it right there. It was fairly obvious what had caused Tony to fall asleep.

"Yeah, Tony. I guess so. But we have to go now."

They left the tent, Gibbs scanning the camp for any movement. Everything was still and silent. Ziva had obviously done her work well.

They met her at the rendezvous. Ziva inhaled sharply when she saw her partner, and glanced at Gibbs, shaking her head imperceptibly. Gibbs set Tony against a tree, and then joined Ziva a few feet away.

"We can't move him like this."

"I did not come all this way to give up now."

"Gibbs…"

"We'll keep a steady pace. We can get back to the base by morning."

Ziva looked like she wanted to argue more, but she knew from experience how little good that would do. She simply nodded, and moved to Tony's left side.

Gibbs tucked Tony's left arm around his shoulder, and together they heaved him to his feet. By some miracle, the young agent managed to muffle his cry of pain, but his eyes told them how difficult it was going to be.

They walked for two hours, taking short breaks. Tony had lapsed into a feverish daze, mumbling quietly under his breath. His legs dragged on the ground, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for Gibbs and Ziva to keep him upright.

Finally, it happened. Ziva tripped, and Tony slipped out of her grasp. Gibbs tried to support his weight, but they both went down hard. Tony cried out, his breath coming in short gasps. His arms wrapped around his side, and tears were streaming down his cheeks.

"Gibbs…"

"Tony, just hold on. We're almost there."

It was a lie. They still had a good hour before they reached friendly territory.

"Gibbs, you…have to…let me go."

"No! You told me to come back for you, and I did. I'm not giving up now!"

Tears were beginning to form in Ziva's eyes, and she took Tony's hand, whispering softly in Hebrew.

"You…have to."

"Tony, you will not die! Do you hear me? What will I tell McGee and Abby and Ducky?"

"Tell McGee…he'll be…better agent than I was…tell Ducky…he's got a new story to tell…and tell Abby…that I…have always loved her."

A sob escaped Ziva's lips, and Tony smiled up at her faintly. "You, Ziva…I loved in a different way."

Gibbs could feel himself losing control. "It's not supposed to end like this, Tony. I'm supposed to take you home."

Tony sighed softly. "I am…home."

Gibbs couldn't stop the tears. He took Tony's other hand, watching as his agent struggled to breathe. There was nothing he could do.

"Tony…you'll come back for me," he pleaded desperately.

"I promise…Boss." Tony smiled.

And that was it. His eyes focused on the stars above, and the tension slowly melted from his body. He sighed once, twice, and then his hands loosened their grip on Gibbs and Ziva.

He was gone. Gibbs followed Tony's gaze, watching the stars in their great dance across the sky.

"You'll come back for me."

oNCISo

_AN: I told you it was depressing. I do hope you found some enjoyment, though._

_And now, a challenge for all of you! Listen to _"Leave No Man Behind" _or some equally emotional song. _"Roslin and Adama"_ from Battlestar Galactica Season Two is another good one. You can write whatever you want, but it needs to follow the emotion of the song, or derive inspiration from it in some way. I'll be looking forward to your contributions. _


End file.
